WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2024—Roberta Wagner, senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) final rule defining “healthy”:

“With this rule, FDA missed an important opportunity to help shoppers at all income levels choose healthier food options for their families. Instead, the rule is so narrow that few foods, including many nutrient dense dairy products, will be able to bear the claim. FDA notes 79% of Americans are not eating enough dairy or getting dairy’s 13 essential nutrients, and yet this new rule puts nutritious dairy further out of reach for Americans of all backgrounds and income levels. We recommend FDA rethink their approach to ensure a wide variety of nutrient dense foods accessible to Americans from all backgrounds can bear the claim. We urge FDA reopen this rule for comment with the intent of creating practical policy that benefits all people and families.”

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Contact: press@idfa.org

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.